The Broadband Forum has launched a new roadmap that they hope will aid ISPs in implementing the new Low Latency, Low Loss and Scalable Throughput (L4S) technology, which has the potential to improve network latency times for popular UK internet activities like online video games, video conferencing, cloud gaming and so forth.

Network latency is a measure of the time that it takes for a packet of data to travel from your computer to a remote server and then back again (ping). The delay is measured in milliseconds, and modern broadband connections will often have an average latency of anything from around c.4ms to 40ms (what is normal for your connection will depend on lots of different factors).

The shortest time is always best for latency, although the times can be affected by various things, such as the performance of remote internet servers, the connection technology being used, network congestion, peering / routing problems and the setup of your own home network etc. But consumers with Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) connections can usually expect some of the best latency times of c.2-10ms.

However, there’s always room for improvement, which is why L4S is now being given more of a push. The new technology is based on the knowledge that the root cause of queuing delay (i.e. when packets wait idly in buffers across the network, for instance in routers and modems, before being forwarded) is in the capacity-seeking congestion controllers of senders, not in the queue itself.

L4S attempts to move away from the congestion control algorithms that sometimes cause substantial queuing delay and instead adopt a new class of congestion controls, which seek capacity with very little queuing. The new technology introduces immediate congestion feedback from network bottlenecks as soon as data packets begin to queue, which when combined with a scalable congestion control scheme on the sending hosts can result in lower latency.

Companies and operators like Vodafone, Apple, Nokia and Intel have been increasingly pushing for wider adoption of L4S since it was specified by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) last year. The Broadband Forum is now establishing a roadmap to help show operators and service providers how to implement L4S.

As L4S does not require implementation across the whole network to start to deliver benefits, Broadband Forum’s project will support phased implementations of the technology that focus on the most beneficial parts of the network first, on the journey to a full end-to-end support.

Jonathan Newton, Vodafone and Access and Transport Architecture Work Area Director at Broadband Forum, said:

“We’re keenly aware that low and stable latency, along with high throughput, is fundamental to broadband performance for many interactive applications used in the home. This is especially true to ensure immersive experiences for applications like cloud gaming, and we’re confident this project will help providers deliver new benefits to pass onto their customers.

Broadband Forum is uniquely positioned to define how to implement L4S capability into a broadband network as a number of key congestion points are in our scope of work and we look forward to supporting the industry tackle a key pain-point for modern network applications.”

One key factor in all this is that L4S is good at handling latency in a more congested network environment, which is important because network congestion often results in rising levels of packet loss and slower latency times (e.g. video games often experience this as lag in online multiplayer games). But by tackling the causes of this issue, end-users are more likely to enjoy a smoother experience.

At present this is mostly being implemented alongside more modern FTTP broadband and 5G mobile networks, although it’s still a fairly new technology and so hasn’t yet been widely adopted.

A new study conducted by the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) has warned that interference from the second (v2-Mini) generation of Starlink’s (SpaceX) broadband satellites is around 32 times stronger than their first generation spacecraft, which is causing growing problems for radio astronomy.

Elon Musk’s Starlink network currently has 6,398 LEO satellites (c.2,200 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) in Low Earth Orbit – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027. Customers in the UK typically pay from £75 a month for a 30-day term, plus £299 for hardware on the ‘Standard’ plan (inc. £20 postage), which promises internet latency times of 25-60ms, downloads of c. 25-100Mbps and uploads of c. 5-10Mbps.

However, ASTRON’s new study (here) has found a significant increase in Unintended Electromagnetic Radiation (UEMR) from the second-generation of Starlink satellites, which is often a by-product of the constellations wanted emissions – causing a growing problem for radio astronomy telescopes (i.e. devices that are extremely sensitive to interference, particularly in certain bands).

Radio telescopes, like the LOFAR telescope in the Netherlands that was used for this study, allow scientists to observe the sky and study other galaxies, stars, nebula, planets and black holes etc. across different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. “Every time more of these [satellites] are launched with these kinds of emission levels, we see less and less of the sky,” said Professor Jessica Dempsey, Director of ASTRON, to the BBC News.

Study Findings (Extract)

We find that the second generation of Starlink satellites that we observed with LOFAR emit higher levels of unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) over a broader frequency range compared to that emitted by the first generation of Starlink satellites. Our observations show that in the 150.05–153 MHz primary radio astronomy band, the broadband UEMR of the second-generation v2-Mini and v2-Mini DTC satellites is, on average, 15 dB and 7 dB brighter than that of the first-generation v1.0 and v1.5 Starlink satellites. On a linear scale, this corresponds to factors of 32 and 5, respectively.

This trend is also present in the 116–124 MHz and 157–165 MHz bands, and in the frequency bands from 50 to 66 MHz where the satellites from the first generation are not detected. On the other hand, the strong narrowband UEMR that is seen in the v1.0 and v1.5 satellites at 125, 135, and 150 MHz appears to be absent in the v2-Mini and v2-Mini DTC satellites. While this is an improvement, it is completely negated by the stronger broadband UEMR, which affects a significantly larger part of the observed frequency range.

The issue of the higher levels of UEMR from the second-generation Starlink satellites is further exacerbated by the lower orbits in which these satellites operate. These satellites are used in the (modified) Generation 2 Starlink constellation, for which the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved operational orbits at 448 and 482 km for the v2-Mini satellites, and 360 km for the v2-Mini DTC satellites. As a result of these lower orbits and resulting smaller distances to Earth-based telescopes, the signals will be 30–130% brighter compared to the Generation 1 Starlink constellation, which mostly operates at orbital altitudes of 550 km.

The impact of the observed UEMR on radio astronomy will vary between different science cases, although the study foresees a situation where one or more satellites may be present in the telescope’s field of view at any given time and this could hamper or even prevent some observations (i.e. too much interference ruins the usefulness of the data). This is the primary reason why broadband UEMR is particularly worrisome for radio astronomy; it increases the risk that the entire observing bandwidth is affected by UEMR for the entire duration of the observation.

Just for some practical context, the study found that almost all of the observed Starlink v2 Satellites (including Direct to Cell ones) produced unintended electromagnetic radiation, which was about 10 million times brighter than from the weakest sources of light identified and 32 times stronger than Starlink’s first generation spacecraft. The problem will only get worse as SpaceX’s constellation, as well as similar networks, continue to grow.

“This is actually threatening the entirety of ground based astronomy in every wavelength and in different ways. If it continues, without the sort of mitigation to make these satellites quiet, then it does become an existential threat for the kinds of astronomy we do,” Prof Dempsey added.

Starlink aren’t oblivious to this problem and have been actively engaging with researchers to find solutions, although the fact that their latest generation of spacecraft has made the problem worse is not to be overlooked. On the other hand, SpaceX has recently begun introducing a system that enables them to dynamically adjust the Starlink network in order to avoid causing interference for radio telescopes (here), although it’s unclear how many telescope sites will be able to adopt this (it requires a partnership with each one).

In the meantime, the study authors hope that their research may help SpaceX/Starlink to “identify the satellite components involved in the emission of UEMR and devise mitigation strategies in already operational satellites, as well as future designs of the hardware.”

A new wholesale agreement between BT Wholesale and AllPoints Fibre (APFN) has today been announced, which among other things means that anchor tenant ISP Cuckoo will be able to offer full fibre broadband (FTTP) packages via Openreach’s network.. again (some related services were withdrawn earlier this year and customers booted to a different ISP).

Just to recap. Cuckoo is currently still in the process of becoming the main retail broadband ISP outlet for Fern Trading’s (Octopus Investments) consolidated UK full fibre networks (Jurassic Fibre, Swish Fibre and Giganet) – under the APFN brand. Cuckoo also sells packages via CityFibre’s national network and, prior to all that, they used to have wide FTTC and FTTP coverage via Openreach’s national network too.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn at the start of this year, which occurred after Cuckoo stopped selling Openreach’s FTTP based packages to new customers (this came months after they’d also withdrawn FTTC services – here). This was then, almost immediately, followed by the somewhat more shocking decision to boot some of those same customers off their platform and on to a different ISP (here) – an unusual move in such an aggressively competitive market.

Cuckoo later clarified to ISPreview that their “existing copper customer base alongside a small cohort of FTTP customers connected via TalkTalk” (i.e. the lines based off their TT Wholesale agreement) would be the ones transferred to the new provider (Home Telecom). But the provider also confusingly stated that they were planning a “further national expansion” later in 2024, which would reintroduce support for Openreach’s fibre.

The first hints that Openreach might be returned to the fold came a few weeks ago, after several of ISPreview’s readers began reporting that Cuckoo had started accepting sign-ups in some of Openreach’s FTTP areas, including those that had previously been stopped. The development has today been confirmed as part of a new agreement between BTW and APFN.

Jarlath Finnegan, APFN Group CEO, said:

“Our close and growing partnership with BT Wholesale is a key part of our strategic plans. We’re delighted to be working with them and look forward to many years of collaboration ahead.”

Gavin Jones, Channel Director of BT Wholesale, said:

“We’re pleased to be working with APFN as they gain access to our full fibre services, opening up the benefits of enhanced connectivity to more customers, to support a range of uses and devices.”

The challenge for Cuckoo will now be in rebuilding their reputation and consumer trust, which inevitably took a bit of a hit after the previous events. Discarding a base like that, only to reintroduce support for the same underling network a few months later, is not a good look. But this does at least help to support yesterday’s Giganet news (here), since that migration will also include a few Openreach based customers (as well as those on Cityfibre and Giganet’s own FTTP).

Otherwise, Cuckoo is now charging the same price for their Openreach based FTTP packages as for their CityFibre ones, albeit with the difference that CityFibre’s network offers faster (symmetric) uploads. Prices start at £28 per month for 150Mbps (25Mbps upload) on a 24-month term, which rises to £35 for 500Mbps (70Mbps) and £42 for 900Mbps (110Mbps). You also get a £50 shopping card on their 500Mbps tier and £100 on 900Mbps.

News

The regulator said the operator had not done enough to protect consumer data

This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reached a settlement with telco giant AT&T, fining them $13 million for their lack of oversight over customers’ data security.

Back in January 2023, bad actors gained access to the data of 8.9 million AT&T customers via a cyberattack on an unnamed third-party cloud vendor.

According to the FCC, this vendor was used by AT&T “to generate and host personalized video content, including billing and marketing videos” for the affected customers.

As part of the vendor’s service agreement with AT&T, the company was required to destroy or return customer data once it was not longer needed. However, the FCC claims that AT&T did not enforce these obligations, thereby creating the conditions for the data theft to take place.

Customer data stolen included that from the period 2015 to 2017, which should have been deleted in 2017 or 2018.

Today, following an investigation, the FCC has fined AT&T $13 million for its failure to protect consumer data.

“The Communications Act makes clear that carriers have a duty to protect the privacy and security of consumer data, and that responsibility takes on new meaning for digital age data breaches,” said FCC chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel. “Carriers must take additional precautions given their access to sensitive information, and we will remain vigilant in ensuring that’s the case no matter which provider a customer chooses.”

As part of the settlement with the FCC, AT&T will be required to increase its data security and supply chain integrity practices, as well a carry out annual compliance audits.

It is worth noting that this is not the only cybersecurity breach of AT&T being investigated by the FCC. Earlier this summer, AT&T revealed a data breach that took place in April affecting roughly 109 million customers – almost the company’s entire subscriber base.

The FCC’s investigation into this incident is still ongoing.

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Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
CMA questions Vodafone–Three merger after second probe

Internet provider Cuckoo, which is the retail anchor tenant broadband ISP for the newly consolidated AllPoints Fibre network (comprising FTTP networks from Jurassic Fibre, Swish Fibre and Giganet), has today announced that the old Giganet brand is being retired and remaining customers fully migrated to Cuckoo.

Cuckoo originally started life around four years ago as an independent ISP, which changed in 2022 after they were acquired by the Fern Trading backed Giganet (here). But last year’s decision by Fern Trading to consolidate almost all of their full fibre operators into a single wholesale network under APFN changed all that (here and here).

Giganet, which was born out of M12 Solutions some years earlier, was arguably the best known and most reputable of Fern’s ISP brands. But despite this, the writing has been on the wall for Giganet ever since May 2024, when existing customers of the service were notified that their contracts had transferred to Cuckoo Fibre Limited (here), which followed similar moves with Swish Fibre and Jurassic Fibre.

However, the announcement in May 2024 didn’t include the physical migration of customers or the merging of Giganet’s brand into Cuckoo, which is what today’s update is all about. Cuckoo is starting to migrate a “small number of customers” from today, and that will gradually build until everyone is moved across (this is happening in phases, so most customers won’t have been notified yet). The Giganet brand will then be retired.

Sarah Howells, Managing Director at Cuckoo, told ISPreview:

“Cuckoo’s sole focus is on selling the fastest, most reliable full fibre to customers across the country. We are also welcoming new customers to the Cuckoo family.

This migration, which has just begun, will help us to deliver fast, fair and feel-good broadband.

We’re confident that the migration won’t cause customers any disruption, and they certainly won’t see any change in contract price. In some instances, customers may even receive better speeds as a result of the switch.

We’re pleased to be welcoming the first batch of customers under Cuckoo’s wing, and to be delivering the exceptional customer service which Cuckoo has been built on to even more people.

If customers have a query on the migration, they can get in contact with us directly or visit our support page.”

Cuckoo states that the new service will include some “updated T&Cs“, but they add that the “important bits” of the service will stay the same (i.e. price, contract period and end date, speeds, reliability and UK based customer service – managed by the same people). Hopefully those with Static IP addresses will also continue to receive them.

News

The decision from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) follows a complaint from rival telco BT

This week, Vodafone Group has been ordered by the ASA to discontinue a trio of recent ads, with the regulator calling the ads “misleading”

The ads, which were challenged by Vodafone’s rival BT, claim that customers could “switch from BT to Vodafone and get the same broadband for less”.

Vodafone also claimed that “millions of BT customers across the UK are realising they can switch to Vodafone and get the same broadband for less”.

BT said that this claim was untrue, since customers would not receive the same performance on the two networks and that there was no evidence of “millions of BT customers” having switched or preparing to switch to Vodafone’s services.

Vodafone defended its claims by saying that both BT and Vodafone provide services to customers over the same physical network (provided by wholesaler Openreach). The operator also referenced Ofcom’s UK home broadband performance report from 2023 to support its position; this report showed comparable results for the two companies’ 67 Mbps fibre-to-the-cabinet plan.

The ASA rejected this defence, noting that the physical network was only one factor in the overall broadband experience for a customer, discounting things like different router hardware and Wi-Fi technology. It also said the Ofcom report cited did not support the position, given that it only included one of the six broadband plans referenced in Vodafone’s ads and was also related to speeds delivered to the router and not the end customer device.

“Because the claims in the ads would be understood to relate to the full internet connection up to the device, rather than to the router, we considered the data did not support the claims. For those reasons, we considered the comparative data in the Ofcom report did not support the advertising claims as they would be understood by consumers,” said the ASA in their ruling.

“We had not seen evidence which supported claims that BT customers who switched to Vodafone would, in practice, get nearly identical performance, including through the use of nearly identical technology. Therefore, we concluded the claims “the same broadband” and “the same broadband technology” had not been substantiated and were misleading,” the judgement continued.

As a result of the ruling, Vodafone is banned from showing the ads again in their current form.

Misleading claims in telco advertising is certainly nothing new. In the last four years, all of Vodafone’s major rivals – Three, BT (EE), and O2 (now Virgin Media O2) – have had adverts banned by the ASA for making misleading claims about their own services in comparison to that of their rivals.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

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Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
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Alternative network ISP Fastr Broadband (formerly UK Fibre Networks) has announced that they’ve adopted ADTRAN’s hardware and services to underpin their ongoing roll-out of a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network in central York (England), which is aiming to cover around 8,000 homes and businesses in the city centre.

Based on our earlier article (here), Fastr’s network expansion began in the Gillygate area of York during January 2024 (Phase 1) and has since expand into the Micklegate area (Phase 2), as well as Walmgate (Phase 3), with Goodramgate / Stonebow (Phase 4) being due to follow anytime now. The initial goal seems to be to cover around 8,000 premises by the end of 2024, although it’s unclear how close they’ll get to that.

The main development today is that Fastr, which is a Norse word that harks back to the city’s Viking roots, has adopted ADTRAN’s Mosaic CP solution to streamline their network management and orchestration. In addition, its 10Gbit/s capable (XGS-PON) 48-port SDX 6330 software-defined Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) will also be deployed to “ensure efficient service delivery and scalable network growth” (this takes the Combo PON approach, which will be easier to upgrade).

Fastr previously said they’d be building the network “considerately at night” and “following the routes of existing cables along the outsides of each property to ensure minimal impact” (i.e. Openreach’s ducts and poles / PIA) on the heritage and historic buildings in the city. The SDX 6330 is fairly compact and so should work well with a discreet deployment in areas where minimising the physical footprint is important.

Stuart Broome, GM of EMEA sales at Adtran, said:

“Many of our professional services team in the UK have strong ties to York and a personal commitment to enhancing the city’s digital landscape. That’s why we’re so pleased to be helping Fastr Broadband expand the availability of advanced broadband services and enrich the options for both residents and businesses. And beyond the initial rollout, we’re committed to ongoing support, ensuring the community enjoys continuous access to ultra-fast services.

Compact, modular and software-driven, our SDX 6330 is ideal for tackling the unique challenges and requirements associated with working in dense urban environments while also respecting the historical character of cities like York. Our flexible Combo PON platform is also highly scalable, ensuring the service provider can expand its network cost-effectively and sustainably in the years to come.”

Residential customers currently pay from £35.99 per month on a 24-month term for a 150Mbps (symmetric speed) package with free installation and Wi-Fi 6 router, which rises to £59.99 for their 950Mbps plan.

News

The news follows Intel’s disappointing Q2 results last month

US chipmaker Intel has said it will pause its plans for new chip factories in Germany and Poland for two years, citing lower-than-expected demand and financial pressures.

Intel had announced plans to build a €30 billion factory in Magdeburg, Germany, and a €4.6 billion facility in Wrocław, Poland in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Both projects were heavily subsidised by the respective national governments, with the European Union viewing the investment as key steps in boosting the bloc’s domestic semiconductor capabilities and ease reliance on China’ manufacturing capacity. Indeed, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had hoped the move would help the country “become one of the world’s major semiconductor production locations”.

However, Intel’s recent financial struggles, including a $1.6 billion loss in Q2 2024, has led to a reassessment of these project. As a result, both the German and Polish fabs will be delayed by about two years, with Intel instead focussing on its new US fab, where it is also receiving significant government support..

“We recently increased capacity in Europe through our fab in Ireland, which will remain our lead European hub for the foreseeable future. We will pause our projects in Poland and Germany by approximately two years based on anticipated market demand,” said CEO  Gelsinger in a published note to employees this week.

“We have a lot of work ahead to drive greater efficiency, improve our profitability and enhance our market competitiveness,” continued Gelsinger.

Despite the European manufacturing pause, the company gave the green light to other investments, particularly in the US. This will include an expansion of a preexisting strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Secondly, Intel secured $3 billion under the CHIPS Act to produce secure semiconductors for the US government, reinforcing its position in the domestic chip supply chain.

Finally, the company aims to spin out Intel Foundry, its manufacturing arm, into an independent subsidiary. This, Intel says, will give “external foundry customers and suppliers with clearer separation and independence from the rest of Intel”. It will also provide the flexibility to evaluate independent sources of funding, the company said.

How will this semiconductor setback impact the German tech market? Join the industry in discussion at Connected Germany 2024

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The CEO and Co-Founder of alternative UK full fibre broadband operator Freedom Fibre, Neil McArthur, has just become one of 71 leading figures in the engineering and technology fields to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Following its AGM on 17th September 2024, the Royal Academy of Engineering announced the group consisting of 60 Fellows, 6 International Fellows and 5 Honorary Fellows, each of whom has made exceptional contributions to their own sector, pioneering new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.

Just to recap. Freedom Fibre’s new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband network currently covers over 300,000 premises across England and is home to 20,000 customers. The wholesale network is typically available via a number of retail ISPs, such as TalkTalk, Yayzi, Home Telecom, Lila Connect and many more.

Neil himself is an industry veteran that first joined telecoms in the mid 90s when deregulation happened, setting up a business ISP called Opal Telecoms. That business ultimately merged with Carphone Warehouse in 2002 and helped to form the foundations for a much more familiar consumer and business provider – TalkTalk.

Neil then ran the technology side of TalkTalk for 8 years and was a non-exec for quite a few years before returning to run Fibre Nation, a direct trenching FTTP venture based in York that was also linked to TalkTalk. In case anybody has forgotten, the Fibre Nation project was sold to CityFibre for £200m in 2020 (here) and at that point Neil decided to stay in the business of building digital infrastructure by establishing Freedom Fibre.

Neil McArthur, MBE FREng, said:

“I am honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Throughout my career in telecoms and through my work founding the Hamilton Davies Trust, I have been a passionate advocate of creating a sustainable and inclusive society and hope to continue this work through the variety of opportunities the fellowship presents.”

Congrats Neil.

The London Internet Exchange (LINX), which handles a key chunk of UK and global data traffic through their switches via around a thousand members (broadband ISPs, mobile operators etc.), has today reported that they set a new peak record for data traffic yesterday when the aggregate total topped 10.69Tbps (Terabits per second).

The new 10.7Tbps peak, which was officially recorded on Tuesday 17th September 2024 at 8:45pm, appears to have been largely driven by football fans heading online to stream several key matches. But the September 16th release of the latest iOS 18 update from Apple may have also been playing a role, as not everybody updates straight away, and it usually gets deployed gradually over a period of several days.

Just for a quick comparison. The latest figures represent a huge leap over the 7.83Tbps recorded by LINX in August 2023 (here), albeit not so much the 9.23Tbps seen in December 2023 (here). But it should be noted that those figures aren’t completely comparable because LINX has since added new sites in Jeddah (400Gbps), Riyadha (81Gbps) and Nairobi (6Gbps).

LINX Traffic Overview from 11th to 18th September 2024

Broadband and mobile providers use sophisticated Content Delivery Networks (CDN) and systems to help manage the load from big online events and software release, which caches popular content closer in the network to end-users (i.e. improves performance without adding network strain). This in turn lowers the provider’s impact on external links and helps to keep costs down.

Nevertheless, demand for data is constantly rising and broadband connections are forever getting faster, thus new peaks of usage are being set all the time by every ISP. Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2023 study noted that the average monthly data volume per household on fixed broadband connections increased over the past year to 535 GigaBytes (up by 11%).